Missing Stages
by Wandering Namekian
Summary: Stories set between Season 1 episodes, focusing on a variety of characters. Pairings: Cornelia/Guilford, Suzaku/Euphy, Schneizel/Kanon, Gino/Kallen, Tohdoh/Chiba, Lelouch/Shirley, Jeremiah/Sayoko, maybe more. Most recent: Stage 0.03: Promotion.
1. Stage 20 57

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass.

**IF YOU'RE READING THIS FOR THE MAIN CHARACTERS LISTED IN THE SUMMARY, GO TO THE MOST RECENT CHAPTER.**

**Author's Note: **So, for anyone who's read "Skipped Turns" this is the same idea but for Season 1. There is a detailed explanation of how these work in Skipped Turns and on my Profile page, so I'm not going to restate it here, except to say that all of these scenes take place at some point between episodes in Season 1, thus they are called "Missing Stages" (as episodes in Season 1 are called "Stages"). This is based off of the format of the CLAMP Picture Dramas. The decimal point indicates roughly around the time the episode occurs, although sometimes things are a bit fuzzy.

This story, for example, I'm not even sure could have happened, as I'm not sure Cornelia returned to Tokyo between when Euphy confessed her love for Suzaku and the announcement of the Specially Administrated Zone, although I assume she did, as Tokyo is the center of her government etc. In that way, this is unique, as normally I can say "this definitely could have happened right here at this moment." But with this one I'm more like "I really like this scene and it probably could have happened, so let's just go with it." Additionally, as I've said, I have varying viewpoints on Cornelia and Guilford's relationship, and in fact, just decided to list the three options I go between on my Profile. This story takes Option A: that they have basically been together since they met and have gone to great lengths to keep it a secret. In this one it isn't hidden from Euphy, although I usually think that even she wouldn't know, so I suppose that makes this a bit of an anomaly. Always the _reasons_ it's secret are the same, and those are actually the subject matter of this story, so I will say no more.

Also, I've decided that I will change the main characters in the listing based on who is featured in a particular story. So, the "main characters" only apply to the most recent story. Sorry, if that confuses anyone, but it seemed like the best option. This is the reason for the large, bold warning at the top.

As I've said before, I take requests, so if you would like to see my take on something, let me know and I will try to incorporate it. I have a few restrictions for requests, mainly as far as pairings are concerned. That's also in my Profile, so please take a look at that before leaving a request. Since this is the first chapter of this story, I will list my pairings again.

General Pairings: Cornelia/Guilford, Suzaku/Euphy, Schneizel/Kanon, Gino/Kallen, Tohdoh/Chiba, Lelouch/Shirley, Jeremiah/Sayoko, Villetta/Ohgi.

Story- Specific Pairings: Cornelia/Guilford, Suzaku/Euphy

**Stage 20.57 – Courtly Love**

"Euphy?" Cornelia looked up from the papers in front of her to see Euphy walking into her office. She sat down on a chair in front of Cornelia's desk, and looked at the floor for a moment.

Euphy wasn't exactly sure where to start. She had done a lot while Cornelia had been away, and when she'd talked to her over the phone about appointing Suzaku as her knight, her sister hadn't exactly been thrilled. Although Darlton had said Cornelia was probably less upset about what Euphy had done than she was about the fact that Euphy had done it behind her back. But now she and Suzaku were together, and she hadn't told Cornelia about that either, but everyone had found out and started passing rumors before she had a chance to talk to her. Still, even though she knew her sister loved her, Euphy was always afraid of Cornelia's temper, and it seemed recently her mood had been more volatile than usual.

"I know I appointed Suzaku as my knight without your permission, and began seeing him romantically without your permission as well, but I just wanted to tell you that I wasn't trying to trick you or anything like that I just—"

"Euphemia, please, you're nearly seventeen and I'm your sister, not your mother. Who you decide to be involved with is none of my business."

"But it's obvious that you have an opinion. If you were happy about it, you would have brought it up yourself."

"You didn't ask for my opinion, so honestly I assumed you didn't want it, as that's what your recent behavior seems to indicate," Cornelia replied. She paused for a moment, realizing how harsh that probably sounded. "I apologize. I've been taking my stress out on everyone recently. My personal opinion is that I think you've made a fine choice. Honestly I'm a bit relieved. I've always been afraid of you falling in love with some noble only interested in your title. Kururugi seems like a responsible young man who genuinely cares for you."

"But before, when I called you, you said that I shouldn't have appointed him as my knight because he was Japanese—I mean, an Eleven."

"No. I said that discrimination against the Numbers is our national policy, and, had you allowed me to finish my sentence," she said with a hint of irritation in her voice, "I would have gone on to explain that by knighting him you ruined Guilford's plan."

Euphy looked rather confused. "Wait, what plan? I don't understand."

Cornelia sighed, shaking her head a bit. "I'm not surprised that you don't remember. Guilford suggested we find you a knight and then build a Royal Guard unit under him. He's been trying to select qualified personnel for over two months now, but seeing as almost none of those soldiers will work under someone who is both a Number and under the age of twenty, it was all worthless."

"So, it wasn't that you didn't like Suzaku, then?"

Cornelia gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't I like Kururugi? He's saved your life more times than I can count at this point, and he even saved me once, I don't think anyone has ever done that before. He's a first-class pilot, and although I hear he has a pacifistic streak that sometimes borders on insubordination, I prefer a soldier with a conscience to one without. Leaving aside the fact that there aren't enough soldiers in our army that would follow his orders to build a Royal Guard unit under him, I doubt many Britannians could be as qualified to be your knight."

"You really mean that?" Euphy looked up at her sister with a smile. Everything really was starting to work out. Just over a week ago, everything had seemed so terrible, Suzaku had abandoned her, Cornelia had been furious with her, Lelouch had turned out to be Zero, and she'd just been caught up in all of it; painfully aware of how little control she had over both the world and her own life. Yet, ever since she'd realized that Suzaku had been feeling the same way, and since she'd talked to him about it, her life had completely turned around. And now it seemed that Cornelia had forgiven her, in fact, Euphy hadn't seen her this calm in quite some time.

"Yes, I do. The only thing I want to tell you is to be careful. You should try not to be so obvious about your feelings."

Or maybe Cornelia hadn't really accepted anything. "So, I can love whoever I want as long as I keep it a secret? I don't want to hide my feelings for him. I don't care what anyone else says or thinks!"

Euphy knew she should have been grateful that Cornelia wasn't upset anymore, yet she couldn't stop herself from confronting her sister about this. The very idea of being ashamed of Suzaku just made her so angry. Why should she be ashamed of being with the most wonderful person she'd ever met? She was proud of him, and of the fact that he felt the same way about her. She wanted to be able to show it. Was that really so wrong?

Cornelia gave her a sympathetic look which, had Euphy not been distracted by her anger, she would have considered a surprisingly benign response, given the fact that Euphy had been shouting at her. "Euphy, I understand how you feel, however, it's more complicated than that. You can't just do whatever you like."

One minute Cornelia said that she could make her own decisions, and the next she was telling her what to do again. It was bad enough that Euphy had a position with no real authority, but now Cornelia was trying to control her personal life as well. Did Cornelia really think she was that incapable? She wasn't going to stand for it, she was finally starting to believe in herself, and she wasn't just going to let it go and do what her siblings told her to anymore.

"I'm just a figurehead! I'll never be important! I'm not like you, sister! I don't have to be ashamed of being in love with my knight!"

Cornelia blinked a few times, as she processed the full meaning of what Euphy had just said. "Do you really think that I've been ashamed all this time?"

Euphy, however, wasn't finished. She had never really been able to speak her mind about how her sister conducted her relationship, and she wasn't going to stop until she was finished. "You've always been so secretive about it! I know that Guilford was born a commoner, but so was Lady Marianne, and he's even earned a Royal Title! It's almost like the more he achieves the more ashamed you are! He loves you so much and you act like you barely know him! I know your image is important, but it's still unfair to him! I won't do that to Suzaku!"

"That's enough, Euphemia!" Euphy flinched a bit at Cornelia's raised voice. Even though she'd known it was coming, her sister's temper still scared her. "I am the Second Princess of the Royal Family as well as the Head of the Imperial Military, I can sleep with whomever I please! Do you really think anyone would care if they knew? That anyone would dare to show me less respect?"

"N-No... of course not..." Euphy always felt so small when Cornelia was angry with her, she was barely able to speak. She knew that it was wrong to just shut down over it, but it was so hard to stand up to her, especially when she was right in front of her like that. "B-But, that's why—"

"And do you think the same is true for Guilford?" Cornelia had lowered her voice, her tone now more geared to proving a point than intimidation.

"I—" Euphy's eyes widened in realization. "Y-You mean—?"

"Guilford has achieved much for someone of his age and background, too much, some say," Cornelia continued. "There are many in the military, particularly amongst the Pureblood Faction, that already believe he's earned his position through inappropriate means. Do you understand what it could do to him professionally if our relationship was open?"

"But as long as you're around, people have to respect him no matter what, right?"

"And what if something were to happen to me? His authority can't be dependent on mine because in the event of my death, injury or capture, my troops are his responsibility, as is your safety. The stability of the Imperial Military cannot be compromised because Guilford and I want to hold hands or dance together at balls."

Euphy simply stared at her, speechless for a moment. "S-So all this time... and I thought... I-I'm so sorry, Cornelia, I should have realized—"

Cornelia sighed. "It's aright, Euphy. I know I can be less than clear with my reasoning, and I don't usually talk to anyone about my personal life, not even you. I'm also aware that you're more than capable of making your own decisions, but I just want to make sure you're fully aware of all of the consequences, as your older sister, I would feel useless if you didn't learn anything from my experiences. You don't have to make the same decisions I do, however, I wish you would at least ask me for advice from time to time."

"I know, I'm sorry," Euphy looked at the ground. As awful as she felt about it, she wasn't sure this conversation would actually make her more willing to come to Cornelia, as she'd just ended up feeling terrible about the decisions that had made her feel so good a few days before. Still, since she was already here, she had one more question she needed an answer to. She looked up at her sister. "Cornelia, please, tell me honestly: do you think I've ruined Suzaku's career?"

Cornelia looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I think 'ruined' is a bit strong. You've helped him in a lot of ways, however, he won't be able to function normally within the military again. You announced that you would make him your knight at the same time it was found out he was the pilot of the Lancelot, and since no one knew that the Lancelot was in the Shinjuku Incident, looked like giving him the Lancelot was your decision, and that he'd been receiving unfair favoritism from the start. Some people on the inside even started to think that you arranged for his acquittal due to your feelings for him, not his innocence.

"The general opinion of him within the military is rather polarized, but for the majority is negative. Nearly all but the most liberal Britannians, or those who know him personally, think he's a Number that doesn't know his place. The Honorary Britannians were supportive until recently, but now are split. Half think he's a hero, the rest either think he's only been able to move up because he's romantically involved with a member of the royal family, or that, as a member of the displaced Japanese nobility, he was just trying to find a way into the new elite.

"The fact that he's a special unit that operates mainly in solitary capacity means he doesn't have to worry about a lack of cooperation in joint operations or attacks. That being said, you probably shouldn't expect him to make friends outside of myself, Guilford and the Darltons."

Euphy looked down. "...I see."

"Euphy, I'm sorry this is how things are. I wish that your enthusiasm hadn't come at such a high price. To be honest, the only advice I can give you at this point is to find a way to make it worth it for Kururugi."

For a moment, Euphy felt a bit overwhelmed, was such a thing even possible? Yes, or rather, it could be. If it was the only thing she ever did, she would accomplish it. She looked up at her sister and smiled. "Yes, sister, I will. I promise."

**Author's Note: **I like the implication at the end. Like that Cornelia was trying to help and ended up planting the seeds for the Specially Administrated Zone. That's so something that would happen to her. Cornelia's life is just a giant clusterfuck, really. Also, what she was saying about Guilford's plan to build a Royal Guard unit under Euphy's Knight is true. It's in a conversation they have after Narita, which I find really amusing, because Guilford is basically trying to convince Cornelia to be more careful because he's noticed that the Black Knights are specifically targeting her personally, and she's like "so then Euphy's in danger, let's do something about that before you guilt me into promising to be more careful," and that's when Guilford suggests giving Euphy her own knight and royal guard.

Anyway, I don't really want to hear arguments about Cornelia being racist, etc. Reviews like that, I _will_ delete (and you know that means it pisses me off, because I love reviews). I have my own opinion, and I actually have a story that will expand on exactly why I see this the way I do. All I will tell you for now is that I have watched the show many, _many_ times (both sub and dub), specifically watching her and now have a concrete, consistent opinion on exactly why she acts the way she does.


	2. Stage 0 03

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Code Geass, if anything, it owns me.

**Author's****Note**: Okay, so this one is a little different, because it's set a while before the series. As I do with any scene set before the series, I tell when and where it is set. Also, Guilford is always called "Lord Guilford" which implies that he has a rank that earns that title (ie: a hereditary one), although after reviewing the ranking from one of the books, it seems that the rank of "Personal Knight" is above that of Baron, however, it seems that all ranks of Knight, even the Knights of the Round are called "Sir," even though Knights of the Round outrank even Arch-Dukes (according to this book). The reason for this, I assume, is that "Lord" is a hereditary title, and since no position of Knighthood can be passed to someone's children, those titles are always referred to as "Sir" regardless of where they fall in the ranking system, which actually makes sense, but because I am so used to "Lord" always outranking "Sir" in the British system, I was confused about it at first (because their system is identical to the British system, except the new levels of knighthood they've created).

That's why, in this story, I take the view that his title was "Sir" (ie: Knight of Honor) and then he did something to earn a noble title. I don't think he was born into nobility, as we never hear about his noble family (which we do for even more minor characters that have them) and he just doesn't really act like a member of nobility at all (that being said, I have considered the fact that he could just be an orphan of a noble family, therefore wasn't really raised as one and that's why he doesn't seem to act like one and we don't hear about his family [this also seems plausible because like everyone is an orphan in Code Geass]. It's hard for me to explain why I think this, it's not really a rational thing, it's more of a feeling, just as I had always guessed Lloyd was a noble, even before they told us. It's just intuition, really.

Also Xeno-Tooth, I am working on your request and it will be either the next one in this series or the one after that (I was already working on a story that is a follow-up to Stage 20.57, which is a conversation between Guilford and Suzaku on the meaning of Knighthood).

**Stage 0.03: Promotion**

Pendragon:ImperialPalace:GreatHall – 2013a.t.b.

"Sister! There you are!" Euphy smiled upon seeing Cornelia, and ran down the hall to give her a hug. She only came up to Cornelia's chest, and was wearing a green school uniform with a white bow, her hair tied back with a similar white ribbon. "I heard that you got home early, so I left school to come see you."

Cornelia smiled at Euphy, the worry clearing from her face. "Yes, establishing Area 13 was easier than we thought it would be. It's good to see you as well. How are things at school? I assume you're working hard."

"Y-Yes, of course, Cornelia." Euphy looked around, as if confused that something was missing. "Where's Guilford? I heard he did really well in your last battle. I wanted to congratulate him."

Cornelia seemed to be having trouble hiding her anxiety now, although it was clear she was trying. "He was summoned by the Emperor."

"Alone? But why? I don't understand."

"As you've heard, my knight distinguished himself quite well in the battle for Area 13. They're calling him the 'Spearhead of the Empire.'"

"That's a good thing, though, isn't it?" Euphy asked, obviously confused as to why Cornelia seemed so upset. "You should be proud of him."

"Yes, and I am." She tried to smile again. "You're right as usual Euphy. It's selfish of me to want to keep someone so talented as my personal knight forever. I should be happy for him."

Euphy looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? Why would this mean he couldn't be your knight anymore?"

Cornelia's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Father has called him in alone because he wishes to offer Guilford a place in the Knights of the Round. As a pilot, Guilford could aspire to no higher a goal than this, the Knights of the Round are the highest rank in the Empire besides that of a Royal Family Member."

"Cornelia," Euphy began, obviously trying to comfort her. "I don't think he would do that, so you don't have to worry."

"This opportunity is too great for him to refuse. It is his chance to show his devotion to the Empire, as well as improve his own standing."

"But sister, Guilford isn't like the others, he is devoted to the Empire, but his true loyalty is to you! I can see it in his eyes whenever he talks to you! I can't believe he would ever take a job where he wasn't working for you."

Cornelia gave her a sad smile, and placed her hand on top of Euphy's head for a moment. "Thank you for trying to comfort me, Euphy." Her hand dropped back to her side, as she looked over toward the door to the Emperor's throne room. When she spoke again, her tone was much more serious. "However, in the history of Britannia, no knight has ever refused a position in the Knights of the Round."

. . . . . . . . . .

"Sir Gilbert G.P. Guilford, the Spearhead of the Empire. You have proven yourself to be a devoted knight and skilled pilot, two of the most valuable qualities for any Britannian Soldier. For your accomplishments in battle, you deserve to be rewarded. I am sure you know of the Knights of the Round."

"Y-Yes, of course, Your Majesty, they are the most skilled pilots in the Empire."

"And you have been selected to join them. From now on, you will be known as the Knight of Eleven."

Guilford blinked a few times. Was he really at that skill level? He wasn't as good as Princess Cornelia, but then again, he heard that even Bismark, the Knight of One, considered her a threat. "T-Thank you, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of such an honor."

"Do not be modest!" The Emperor's voice was suddenly much louder, almost as if he was angry. "Modesty is weakness! Never deny what you have earned as a result of your strength! That is what it means to be a soldier!"

Guilford's eyes narrowed for a moment, although he stopped himself from reacting anymore. "Yes, Your Majesty, very well."

"I would rather not waste any time. Tomorrow you will renounce the vow you took as Princess Cornelia's personal knight, and swear the oath of the Knights of the Round."

Guilford blinked a few times. "I would have to give up my position as Princess Cornelia's knight?"

"As did all personal knights who have joined the order. The Knights of the Round swear allegiance to me, the Emperor, and me alone. You will move back here to Pendragon and be under my direct command." The Emperor was explaining it casually; in fact he had stood up, and turned to walk away, as if to exit the room.

"In that case, I must respectfully decline." Guilford said it without any hesitation, there was no way he could leave Princess Cornelia's side; he had sworn his life to her. If that oath could be revoked, what was the point in making it in the first place? Breaking sacred oaths over promotions seemed about as far from proper conduct for knight as anything could get. Although when he was honest with himself, it went far beyond his own honor, Princess Cornelia was nothing short of his reason for living; the idea of being separated from her for an extended period of time sounded like some sort of torture.

The Emperor stopped and turned back toward him. "What?"

"I will not renounce the oath I swore to Princess Cornelia. I apologize, Your Majesty, but I cannot join the Knights of the Round."

The Emperor's mood suddenly shifted from confusion to anger. "Do you really think you're the first Knight to fall in love with the monarch they've sworn to protect? Do you believe your feelings are special in some way?"

Guilford looked at the ground, as much as he wanted to stand up for himself, and his decision, it was rather disarming to hear his greatest secret said without warning or consideration. "On the contrary. They are quite ordinary and mundane."

"Are you really so weak a man as to let love get in the way of strength and power? You're living a romanticized lie! A fairy tale you've told yourself about what it means to be a knight! Don't you see? It has no meaning! A knight is just a consort with a sword! Honor! Love! Chivalry! In truth these are just worthless constructs to protect the weak from the strong! There is only one thing with meaning in this world and it's power! The only people who can change this world are those willing to seize that power for themselves!"

Power untempered by love or honor? It sounded like tyranny. He looked up at the Emperor. "Then it seems I was correct before in saying I was not worthy of such a position. I apologize, Your Majesty, for wasting your time."

"You will regret your senseless devotion!" The Emperor took another step toward him, and Guilford had to stop himself from shrinking back. The Emperor was much larger than he was, he probably weighed more than twice as much. Guilford was having trouble hiding how small he suddenly felt. "You are nothing! A shameful representative of the Empire! A delusional fool pretending to be a knight! Get out of my sight! Run back to your Princess and tell her of your disgrace! I will decide your fate."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Guilford could feel himself shaking as he left the throne room. He had done the right thing, he was certain. He could not have forsaken Princess Cornelia, he couldn't even think of such a thing. As he saw her waiting for him, he felt himself beginning to calm down. No matter what was happening, seeing her or hearing her voice always made him feel safe, even in the midst of their most dangerous battles. It didn't matter if his decision had cost him his job, or even his life, it was preferable to choosing to abandon her.

"Guilford, are you alright?" Princess Cornelia asked, as she walked over to him. It seemed that he still looked shaken. He saw Princess Euphemia behind her, but wasn't really able to acknowledge her. He would speak to her after he had explained what had just happened to Princess Cornelia.

"Yes, I'm fine, Your Highness. However, I owe you an apology, as it seems I may not be your knight for much longer."

Princess Cornelia gave him a rather forced smile, and Princess Euphemia seemed shocked. "I know, I should congratulate you on your appointment to the Knights of the Round."

"N-No! Princess Cornelia, t-that isn't—! That is to say..." Had she been upset about the idea of him leaving her service? Just the idea sent a small shiver through him. He took her hand, and bowed over it, leaving a brief kiss upon it before looking up at her. Normally, he would have felt too embarrassed to do anything like this so suddenly, but the threat of death seemed to have given him courage. "I could never have renounced the oath I swore to you. I gave you my life, after all. It is not mine to take from you. Please, understand I meant no disrespect to the Empire—"

Guilford fell silent as Princess Cornelia removed her hand from his, but before he could respond, she embraced him rather tightly. "Thank you, Guilford, my knight."

He felt himself blushing as he returned her hug. He'd never been so close to her before, at least not like this, and it was by far the greatest single moment he'd ever experienced. If this was weakness, then why did he feel stronger than he ever had in his life? It was hard to believe that a few moments before he'd felt completely insignificant compared to Emperor's overwhelming strength.

Yet, Princess Cornelia was without a doubt the strongest person he'd ever met, and being in her presence made him feel stronger; as if she used her strength in order to empower those around her. So unlike her father, who only used his to make others feel weak and unimportant.

"I... I.. ah... I'm glad you're not angry with me, Princess Cornelia," Guilford said, once he regained the ability to speak. "I was afraid you would be disappointed with me for not taking such a valuable opportunity. The last thing I would want to do is bring you any sort of shame."

"How could I be ashamed of your devotion? That would be completely ridiculous." she sounded genuinely confused.

"Then, you don't think it was a display of weakness?"

"You tell me, which takes more strength: to accept an offer made by the world's most powerful man for personal profit, or to refuse it for the sake of honor?"

"It wa—" He started, but fell silent when she spoke again.

"I doubt any knight has ever displayed greater loyalty." She still hadn't let go of him, and now her hold tightened a bit. She rested her head against his chest, a small smile on her lips. "What you've just done is probably the most impressive thing I've ever seen."

Guilford felt his face growing warmer at both her compliment and her holding him so close. He was sure he'd never been happier, even if the Emperor ended up Court Martialing or executing him, it would be worth it; indeed, he had been willing to die, without even the slightest hope of anything like this. "I'm so relieved I made the right decision then. I've only worked to make my service valuable to you, Princess Cornelia. I would much rather die as your knight than live as anything else."

Princess Cornelia blinked and her eyes grew serious. She looked up at him again, clearly trying to evaluate him. When she spoke, her voice held suspicion. "Why would you say that?... And before, you apologized because you said you might not be my knight for much longer."

She was silent for a moment as she processed the situation. He knew he should have been focusing on the gravity of his own situation, yet, he couldn't stop himself from thinking how attractive she was whenever it was obvious she was analyzing something. She was so intelligent, and she attacked logical problems and inconsistencies with the same force and skill she did enemy units in battle. It was absolutely incredible.

Within a few moments, her eyes narrowed. "The Emperor threatened you with execution, didn't he?"

From a few feet away, Guilford heard a sharp intake of breath. He looked over to see Princess Euphemia looking worried, her hand over her mouth. He'd actually forgotten she was there, as he'd been fairly overwhelmed by Princess Cornelia's actions.

"No..." The small princess looked almost ready to cry. Guilford now felt incredibly guilty, he should have told Princess Cornelia that he needed to talk to her alone, it wasn't fair to put Princess Euphemia through this.

Princess Cornelia also seemed to have forgotten her sister's presence until that moment. She immediately pulled away from him. Had he not known better, he would have thought her cheeks were a bit red, although her expression was quite serious. She shot Princess Euphemia a worried look, but obviously, it was too late to stop her from finding out now. She looked him directly in the eye. "Well, Guilford?"

"Well, it was really more of an implication, I suppose. Although he did seem pretty angry."

"I see." Princess Cornelia reached up to place her hand on his cheek. "Don't worry, my knight, I will protect you."

With that she turned away from him and walked purposefully into the throne room.

.. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Your Majesty, I am here to speak to you in regards to my knight. As reward for his achievements in Area 13, I respectfully request you grant him the title of Baron."

The Emperor down at her, narrowing his eyes. "Is this some sort of joke, Cornelia? You no doubt know what he's done."

"With your offer, you indicated he deserved some sort of compensation, therefore I suggest a hereditary title. Refusing a position in the Knights of the Round isn't against any law. Even if it were, as a member of the military, any crimes he committed would fall to a tribunal under my jurisdiction."

"You dare lecture me on the law? I am the Emperor! I am not bound to the law; the law is an instrument of my power!" He sounded quite angry now. Cornelia, although obviously not apathetic to the situation, did not seem intimidated. "And as for your precious military, that also is only an instrument of my power! It belongs to me! Everything you have, I gave to you! Do not delude yourself into thinking I will not take it away in an instant if you displease me!"

"Then do so! If the death of one commoner means so much to you. Schneizel would be all too happy to take command of the military." Cornelia noticed him react to Schneizel's name, she knew the last thing her father wanted was power concentrated in his hands. When she spoke again, her voice was much darker, with a quality so menacing, it even seemed to catch the Emperor off-guard. "But do not think I will allow you to kill him until you have taken every last iota of power from me. And know that once you try, I will fight you with everything I have. I will tear the military apart just as I built it before the end."

Emperor Charles seemed to realize she would not fall to intimidation, as his tone was back to normal when he spoke again. "Such a weak man really means so much to a woman like you? You could have any man you wanted, why bother attaching such value to this one? He can be easily replaced."

"I could ask you the same question, Your Majesty. Why put so much value on his execution? If he is as insignificant as you say, surely his life or death is inconsequential to you. Certainly, he couldn't be worth all the trouble I could cause."

The Emperor looked at her for a moment, as if considering a response, but then placed his chin in his hand, his expressing changing to one of boredom. "Cornelia, this conversation ceases to interest me. His weakness for you will get him killed eventually, and then you'll have no one to blame but yourself for growing attached to someone so pathetic. I will not waste my time doing what evolution will do for me. I grant your request; you may present him with his title whenever you please. Your next military target is Egypt. There are some ruins approximately twenty miles south of Cairo that you are not to destroy when taking over that country; I will make sure you have the exact co-ordinates before you begin the invasion. I trust you will not come to me with any more mundane matters until that is taken care of."

"Yes, your Majesty, I understand. Thank you." She turned to go, but then turned back. "With all due respect, father, I must disagree with you about my knight, as his devotion to me has just saved his life."

. . . . . . . . . .

"Sister!" Euphy said, running up to Cornelia as she walked out of the throne room. "Was father angry with you?"

"Not particularly," Cornelia said. "Guilford, you've been awarded the title of Baron for your achievements, I'll be presenting you with the title officially in a few days."

Guilford blinked a few times. Within a few minutes, she'd managed to turn the Emperor's threat of execution into an award of a noble title, and she was talking about it as if she was talking about what she'd had for breakfast. Could she be any more perfect? "T-Thank you, Your Highness."

"For what? You've more than earned it."

"Cornelia... I-I'm so glad..." Euphy said, suddenly hugging her sister. "I was worried that father would—"

"I know." Cornelia smiled at her, although she seemed a bit surprised by her sister's actions. "You shouldn't worry though, everything is fine." She pulled away from her, taking her hands. "Now, shouldn't you get back to school? As an Imperial Princess, I'm sure no one minds if you skip, but that doesn't mean you should make a habit of it."

Princess Euphemia sighed. "I know, sister. I'll work hard, I promise."

"Good. I'm proud of you."

"Alright. Goodbye sister! Goodbye Guilford! I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved at them as she left, then took off running down the hall.

"We should probably get going as well, I want to get out of the main part of the palace before any of my other family members find out I'm home," Princess Cornelia said, as she began to walk down the hall.

"Y-Yes, of course, your Highness," he answered, following her. "Ah... Princess Cornelia, if you don't mind my asking, why—?

She stopped and turned to look at him. "You're wondering why I had my father give you a royal title that carries less authority than your rank as my knight, aren't you? I should have known you would pick up on that."

"Actually I—" He had actually been wondering why she'd insisted on granting him a noble title at all, seeing as seemed he'd barely gotten away with his life. "Ah, yes... that..."

"It's actually quite simple. I need to make sure you have the authority to command my royal guard if something happens to me. I'm also promoting you to the rank of General. I suppose I'll have to wait at least a bit longer before I can make you a Commander."

"P-Princess Cornelia, while I'm grateful for your kindness, I—"

"That's not what this is. What you did today proved to me that I can trust you more than anyone. I can think of no better person to replace me in case of an emergency, you have my total confidence." He was about to respond, when she continued. "I hope you're not questioning my judgment on this matter, and even if you are, I should warn you now that I'm not going to change my mind."

He smiled a bit. "I see. In that case, I promise I will do everything in my power not to disappoint you, Princess Cornelia."

"I'm sure. ...Now, we should get going, it's only a matter of time before Clovis shows up and tries to throw me some sort of party."

Guilford felt himself smiling a bit more. It was so strange that Cornelia could face both the battlefield and the Emperor without fear, yet showed so much trepidation over something as simple as her siblings' social functions. "Yes, of course, your Highness," he answered, as he began to follow her down the hall.

. . . . . . . . . .

**Author's****Note:**I'm going to go ahead and say, I'm actually not sure if you have to demand to become a Knight of the Round the way Suzaku did or if it can just be given to you if you earn it. I don't think you have to demand it though, as that doesn't seem to be in the disposition of some of them, especially, say Gino. Also, I wanted this to happen to Guilford, and obviously he would never ask, so I decided that it must be offered in some cases.


End file.
